Every single article I’ve read about wine and health say not to over-consume. You will have to be the judge as to what your personal limit is, but the ceiling seems to be around two glasses per person per day. But if you are thinking of adding wine to your diet for health reasons, yes, these are some neat studies, but check with your physician first.
From the site:http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/8-health-benefits-of-drinking-wine
The Benefit: Promotes Longevity: Wine drinkers have a 34 percent lower mortality rate than beer or spirits drinkers. Source: a Finnish study of 2,468 men over a 29-year period, published in the Journals of Gerontology, 2007.
The Benefit: Reduces Heart-Attack Risk: Moderate drinkers suffering from high blood pressure are 30 percent less likely to have a heart attack than nondrinkers. Source: a 16-year Harvard School of Public Health study of 11,711 men, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 2007.
The Benefit: Lowers Risk of Heart Disease: Red-wine tannins contain procyanidins, which protect against heart disease. Wines from Sardinia and southwest France have more procyanidins than other wines. Source: a study at Queen Mary University in London, published in Nature, 2006.
The Benefit: Reduces Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Moderate drinkers have 30 percent less risk than nondrinkers of developing type 2 diabetes. Source: research on 369,862 individuals studied over an average of 12 years each, at Amsterdam’s VU University Medical Center, published in Diabetes Care, 2005.
The Benefit: Lowers Risk of Stroke: The possibility of suffering a blood clot–related stroke drops by about 50 percent in people who consume moderate amounts of alcohol. Source: a Columbia University study of 3,176 individuals over an eight-year period, published in Stroke, 2006.
The Benefit: Cuts Risk of Cataracts: Moderate drinkers are 32 percent less likely to get cataracts than nondrinkers; those who consume wine are 43 percent less likely to develop cataracts than those drinking mainly beer. Source: a study of 1,379 individuals in Iceland, published in Nature, 2003.
The Benefit: Cuts Risk of Colon Cancer: Moderate consumption of wine (especially red) cuts the risk of colon cancer by 45 percent. Source: a Stony Brook University study of 2,291 individuals over a four-year period, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2005.
The Benefit: Slows Brain Decline: Brain function declines at a markedly faster rate in nondrinkers than in moderate drinkers. Source: a Columbia University study of 1,416 people, published in Neuroepidemiology, 2006.
From the November 2014 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine.
The Heart: Wines contain quercetin, a blood pressure lowering flavonoid found in red wines. A Spanish study showed drinking a little red wine daily lowers blood pressure by several points in four weeks
Sulfites in Wine: Sulfite sufferers are rare—less than .005% of humans according to a study in Journal of the American College of Nutrition. The law came about in the 1980’s when diners became sick after consuming foods from salad bars in which sulfur was used as a preservative. Sulfites occur naturally in plants, including many fruits and vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, asparagus, and dried fruit such as apricots.
Bones: Over-consumption disallows the body to absorb calcium and vitamin D. Men over the age of 50 who drink wine regularly increased bone density. For women, regularly drinking wine reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
Cholesterol: Wine increases HDL, the good cholesterol and reduces LDL, the bad cholesterol. This helps to keep your arteries clean, thus reducing the risk of a heart attack. In a Denmark study, people who drank two glasses of wine daily for a month increased their HDL levels by 16%.
Brain: Alcohol does not kill brain cells. And a Norwegian study proves it. Over 5000 people tested showed that those who consumed wine outscored their non-drinking buddies on cognitive function tests.
Your Waistline: A Purdue University study showed that a compound in wine called piceatannol, a chemical very similar to the antioxidant resveratrol, slows fat cell growth by 20%.
Sex Drive: Do I have your attention? Researchers at USC found regular red wine drinkers have higher levels of testosterone, which boosts libido for both sexes. As an aside, I have seen a study that shows an increase in testosterone helps reduce the good ‘ol waistline.
Liver: Drinking to excess will destroy your liver. In moderation, red wine can protect it. According to researchers in Portugal, the antioxidant resveratrol, helps fight fat buildup in the liver.
Digestive System: Tannins aid good digestive bacteria, and they help prevent colon cancer. In a Spanish study, folks who drank a glass of Merlot every day for 20 days showed an increase in the bacteria that helps increase the cancer fighting power of any type of antioxidant.
The biggest organ – The Skin: The anti-inflammatory properties of flavonoids and phenols in red and white wine can increase collagen, which helps delay wrinkles. Cool, huh?
Jim’s conclusion: Drink a moderate amount of wine and you’ll look younger by having nicer skin, and less of a belly. Your partner will think you’re witty and smart on your feet, and of course, more physically attractive, and he or she will be able to see you better. A great sex life will ensue, and you’ll have longer lives together…or something like that. J
From the site: http://www.terroir-france.com/wine/components.htm#.URKvmfKtX1u
Nearly one thousand components have up to now been identified.
The mineral composition of wine is special as it contains potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, sulfates, phosphoruses, all of which necessary to cover daily needs of human beings.
Wine contains vitamins of the group B, and, above all vitamin P which reinforces the cell-wall of capillary vessels, lessening the risks of hemorrhage and oedema.
Wine also comprises more specific components which give it its personality (aroma components) such as phenolic components. The phenolic component is an element whose molecule incorporates several phenolic functions among which are phenolic acids, anthocyanes and tannin.
During the TV broadcast “60 minutes” presented in November, 1991 on CBS, Doctor Serge Renaud gave several millions Americans the opportunity of discovering the “French Paradox”.
He showed that in most countries, a high consumption of saturated grease is largely correlated to an important number of deaths due to cardiovascular diseases.
It is not the case in France, and in particular in the Toulouse region (South West), famous for its Cassoulet (baked beans with fat duck or goose, pork…) where death due to coronary disease is low.
After the talk about “French Paradox” on American TV Doctor Klasky decided to review his study.
Among the patients of “Kaiser Permanente” medical center, the analyses showed that wine-drinkers presented less risk of death due to cardiovascular disease than non-drinkers.
In fact, according to Professor Masquelier of Bordeaux University (France) wine present in blood accelerates the elimination of cholesterol.
Can wine help cure cancer ?
Laboratory-mice genetically inclined to develop carcinoma received food containing solid red wine extracts.
The result was that it took much longer than normal for those mice to develop cancer and their life expectation increased by 40% in comparison with that of mice normally fed.
This surprising study was carried out by a team of researchers from the University of Davis – California.
Researchers attribute this result to the presence in red wine of polyphenols, in particular to catechine, and to their antioxidizing properties (see composition of wine).
The same protection exists in tea and in a great number of fruits and vegetables.
A recent article in the New York Times said that it seems that resveratol, present in the skin of grapes, inhibits the action of agents favourising cancer. It is the case in leukaeamious cells.